MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 03-03-2005

Hello, all! The last week has been quite eventful to say the least. We'd asked for prayer for our son John because he had the stomach flu. After sending the update we saw a marked improvement in how he was feeling. Thank you all for praying for him! We had a missions conference in Harrisonville, MO last week from Wed. until Sun. We didn't want to take sick kids with us. When no one was sick on Wed. morning we packed everyone in the van and headed out. (More on the conference later.) Thursday Ethan had the flu and it was one right after another with each of us getting it for the next several days. Thankfully I didn't get it until Monday when the conference was over but James was quite sick on Sunday. We all seem to be doing better now. Elizabeth is the only one who is still hanging on to some residual effects from it. Be praying for her. She has had very loose diapers ever since Sunday night. She is drinking plenty of fluids and acting okay but can't seem to shake the bowel problems.

The conference went so very well. Being in Grace Baptist Church in Harrisonville was like being in Grace Baptist here in St. Louis. The people were so friendly and eager to help with everything. Pastor Kaighen and his family have a tremendous heart for missions and for their own community. He started the church there 22 years ago. The main speaker was a man named Dr. Gardiner Gentry. He and his wife have started a ministry in Malawi, Africa. Each night when he shared we were moved more and more that we were doing what God wanted us to do. Being confident of the fact that we are to go to Uganda, we were still moved by the need in Malawi. Over 3,000,000 people died from starvation last year in a country with a population of 12,000,000. They are the 3rd poorest country in the world. About one third of the population is either HIV positive or has AIDS. Millions are dying and going to hell. What are we doing to stop that from happening? Are you going and telling those around you so that they will be saved? America is just as much a mission field as anywhere else in the world. Are you giving sacrificially to missions so that others can go? James and I were moved by the intense need for us to get to Uganda. It is a country of 26,000,000 but over two thirds of the population is HIV positive or has AIDS. There are millions of AIDS orphans and thousands of villages where no one has heard the gospel. Hundreds of thousands are dying there of AIDS and AIDS related illness with no one to tell them the Message of Salvation. Our hearts ache with the urgency of taking the gospel to these people. Will you pray with us that our support will be raised up in a timely manner so that we can get to the mission field? Several churches and individuals are supporting us right now and several promises for support have been made. Please pray that God will raise up the needed supporters so that we can get to the field soon.

We have a meeting in Ava, Missouri on Sunday at Bethany Baptist Church. We are then going to be home for a week to attend the Church Planting Conference being held in our church March 13-17.

Thank you all for praying and for your interest in what we are doing!